Beale Street bars will need to close starting Sunday

by: Luke Jones

Published: Jul 24, 2020/ 08: 17 PM CDT
/ Upgraded: Jul 24, 2020/ 08: 17 PM CDT

MEMPHIS, Tenn.– A Shelby County Health Department regulation provided Friday appears to close a loophole that allowed bars on Beale Street to remain open while others were forced to close.

Starting at midnight on Sunday, bars anywhere in Shelby County will have to close unless the business can prove that its yearly revenue from food sales isn’t 50%or less than its yearly revenue from alcohol sales.

The brand-new guideline is drawing blended actions from Beale Street visitors.

” Common sense informs you sit at a bar, you’re not six feet, you’re not four feet.

” I don’t believe it’s gon na do anything to stop the spread of it [COVID-19],” said Brian Latture.

A health department instruction released two weeks ago purchased bars and minimal service dining establishments to close, but Beale Street bars were largely exempt. Because they are located in a historic district, the state enables them to be classified as full-service restaurants without proving that they sell more food than alcohol.

However Friday’s directive will apply to all bars no matter whether or not they’re also categorized as full-service dining establishments.

” I don’t see how that makes any sense at all,” said Latture.

” You could capture it from anywhere. You can capture it from work or anywhere, so singling the bars out, no, I don’t believe that’s right,” stated Bambi Spinks, who’s visiting from Louisiana.

Since Wednesday, the health department says Shelby County had 4,993 active coronavirus cases. Because March, an overall of 17,684 have been taped.

” They got to shut them [bars] down. I indicate, they got to close them down that way whatever decreases, no one gets sick,” said Jesus Flores, who’s checking out from Little Rock.

It’s unclear precisely which Beale Street bars would satisfy the health department’s yearly sales requirements to stay open. The Beale Street Merchant’s Association didn’t return WREG’s messages.

The full instruction from the health department is offered below:

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